Wednesday September 30, 2009

PD now known as Army Town

By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN

PORT DICKSON: This popular beach resort will be known as “Port Dickson — Army Town” in recognition of the services of the army in defending the country.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who made the announcement, said that as a beachfront town, Port Dickson also housed a large concentration of army camps and training centres, which had produced many recruits.

“The armed forces, especially the army, has made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of national peace. The new term Army Town should be given to Port Dickson, which houses tens of thousands of army personnel,” he said at the Hari Raya gathering at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pusasda) headquarters here yesterday.

Najib said the Government would implement a number of major development projects for the army in Port Dickson, to make the name Army Town more meaningful.

He called on Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the top brass in the army to provide ideas on how to develop the Army Town.

Najib said historically, as the largest partner in the armed forces, the army had carried out their duties well and exhibited professionalism in fighting off the threat of the communist terrorists and the Confrontation.

He reminded the people that the threat of communist terrorism still existed in countries such as the Philippines and Nepal, adding that the Government appreciated the army’s duties. Najib said he had been Defence Minister for 14 years and had implemented many programmes for the benefit of the armed forces — including increasing their remuneration and providing new equipment.

He hoped Ahmad Zahid would continue to provide his best service to the soldiers in his capacity as Defence Minister.

Monday September 28, 2009

Party leaders want Hasan to explain outburst over Selcat issue

PETALING JAYA: Despite calls from Pakatan Rakyat members for action to be taken against Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali over his many outbursts, PAS leaders are standing behind him.

According to PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa, the party was not planning to take disciplinary action against Dr Hasan over his most recent outburst over the Select Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) issue, although Dr Hasan would have to issue a formal explanation.

Selangor PAS is also backing Dr Hasan’s call to improve Selcat, saying that if the suggestions were accepted, the committee would function better as an organisation propagating competency, accountability and transparency.

Dr Hasan came under fire from Pakatan members and some of his colleagues over the outbursts, especially on the Selcat issue. Many have referred to him as “the only problem” and “a runaway train.”

Sunday September 27, 2009

PAS man could face disciplinary action

By G. MANIMARAN

PETALING JAYA: Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mo­­hamed Ali has been warned twice by his party for being out of line with the spirit of Pakatan Rakyat.

His recent criticism of the Se­­langor state assembly’s Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) could earn him his third reprimand.

And this time, the consequences could be harsher.

Party sources said several central committee members were pu­­shing for Dr Hasan’s to be hauled before the party’s disciplinary com­mittee.

“They want the matter referred to the disciplinary committee so it can be properly dealt with,” sources told The Star’s Malay news portal mStar Online.

The sources said many central committee members shared the view that Dr Hasan had to explain his outburst.

Dr Hasan has even been rapped by colleagues for calling for a review and revamp of Selcat’s procedures.

He had earlier hit out at Selcat, which is chaired by assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim, for “grilling” senior civil servants over constituency allocations.

The next central committee meeting is scheduled to held on Oct 11 but will be brought forward because polling for the Bagan Pinang by-election would take place that day.

As for the past two warnings from the party’s central committee, the sources said the latest was over Dr Hasan’s proposal for restrictions on the sale of alcohol in Selangor.

The earlier one was over Dr Hasan’s stand over issues concerning the donation of sacrificial cows, purchased by Selangor State Development Corporation companies, to mosques in the Bandar Tun Razak constituency, where Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is MP.

“Furthermore, he has been warned especially on the sale of alcohol issue,” said the Kuala Selangor MP.

He said Dr Hasan might have his reasons but this was not the way to express his view.

“Only the disciplinary board can decide on the action, if any, to be taken against Dr Hasan,” he said.

While Dr Hasan has been criticised for his actions, he is said to enjoy support from party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa and Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi.

Ultimatum for Selangor Pas chief:
Toe the line or get out

2009/09/24

V. Shankar Ganesh

KLANG: Pressure is mounting on Selangor Pas state commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali to leave Pakatan Rakyat for his inability to “conduct himself as a team player”.

As the fallout from Hasan’s criticism of the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) continues, the menteri besar has also been urged to write to the Pas leadership demanding answers for Hasan’s behaviour.

Pas’ Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad said if Hasan could not function as a team player in the PR government, he should do the right thing and leave.

He said the Pas leadership should also evaluate Hasan’s performance as the state Pas chief and an executive council member as he constantly raised issues that made the coalition look unstable.

Datuk Dr Hasan Ali under pressure to leave Pakatan Rakyat

“He should be reprimanded by the Pas leadership for his actions,” Khalid said when contacted yesterday.

He said Hasan’s statements were viewed as Selangor Pas’ stand but that was not the case as they were never discussed at any party meeting.

Hasan was in the news after he criticised Selcat proceedings. Selcat had called up district officers to explain how allocations of RM500,000 each to each assemblymen by the previous state administration had been disbursed within the first two months of last year.

Hasan had complained that Selcat was bullying and victimising the officers.
He also said Selcat should be revamped.

Wednesday September 23, 2009

Hasan Ali a thorn in Selangor, say Pakatan Rakyat reps

By WANI MUTHIAH

KLANG: Trouble is brewing in Selangor Pakatan Rakyat with its members turning on PAS, specifically Datuk Dr Hasan Ali, who has become increasingly isolated over the last few days over his many outbursts.

Speaker Teng Chang Khim, who is from DAP, has singled out the Selangor PAS commissioner and exco member as the “only problem” in the partnership that was forged after the March 8 general election.

“There is no communication breakdown among coalition members. Hasan Ali is the only problem in the coalition and he has been consistently inconsistent on various issues,” he said, adding that as exco member, Dr Hasan could have brought up his dissatisfaction through the right channels.

Dr Hasan’s most recent outburst was the calling for a revamp of the Select Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat), which had come under fire from him for their “grilling” of senior civil servants over allocations.

He had argued that members of Selcat — which is currently staffed by legislative assembly members from both Pakatan and Barisan Nasional — should be made up of eminent persons without political inclinations.

Prior to this, Dr Hasan had also quarrelled with DAP exco member Ronnie Liu over the sale of beer in the state and had wanted to impose a blanket ban on alcohol sale in retail outlets in Muslim majority areas.

Teng, who heads Selcat, said the executive council had weekly meetings.

“There is no reason why he should attack Selcat in the open. He’s trying to take advantage of the situation to gain politically,” he alleged.

DAP Klang MP Charles Santiago was more blunt, calling for Dr Hasan to be disciplined by his party leaders and removed as both state commissioner and exco member.

“We will be stronger and better in Selangor without him. PAS should remove him to protect our best interests.

“He is wrongfully giving the impression that things are not well. There always appears to be two voices to everything with him around,” he added.

“He wants to send a message that he is the one who will protect the Malays in Selangor,” claimed Santiago.

Even Dr Hasan’s party colleague Saari Sungib, who is a Selcat member, has distanced himself, saying that the former should be referred to the House Privileges Committee for making public outbursts.

PKR exco member Yaakob Sapari denied any cracks, saying the group practised freedom of speech and encouraged people to speak up.

“We are allowed to say anything we want and air our views. There’s no problem among us,” he said, pointing out that Dr Hasan’s voicing of opinion should not be misconstrued as trouble.

PAS exco member Iskandar Abdul Samad said it was natural for Pakatan members, who were from three different political parties with different ideologies and philosophies, to have opposing views at times.

“That doesn’t mean there’s a rift between us, because at the end of the day, we can all sit down together, discuss the matter amicably and arrive at a single decision,” he said, adding that any final decision rested with the state’s executive council.

This ‘freedom of speech’ excuse is really unbelievable as the bickering is taken out in the open and sundry. This is what you get strange bedfellows with totally opposite dreams, aspirations and ambitions get married for the ‘inconvenience’ and all the wrong reasons.

Not only PR Leaders spend too much resources playing politics against BN, they play politics amongst themselves. All these are at the expense of the general interests of the rakyat of Selangor. Fourth Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad always reminded Malaysians that they “Deserve the Government they elect”. Within eighteen months, so many conundrum and scandals developed. Of course the failure of party-less Opposition Leader Anwar “Mat King Leader” Ibrahim to deliver promisesis the push-factor that the support for PR should be reviewed at this juncture.

The future of Malaysians and progress of tanahair should not be gambled, for the sake of emotions and confidence based on false hopes. For what ever the short comings of the previous administration, it is proven gravely wrong that the support has been given to the wrong people just like Selangorians should no longer give ‘flower to the monkey’ (Beri bunga kepada beruk). On top of that, some of theese damages caused by ‘giving the rat to fix the pumpkin’ (Bagi tikus membaiki labu) would definitely take years if not decades to undo and get things on the right track, all over again.

There are, many ways of ‘skinning a cat’ and yet, some chose to do it in this manner. It is not clearly why it was done in this way. However, one could only guess there is an ulterior motive to make a ‘fast one’, out of the circumtances on the ability to turn and manipulate perception of the whole incident and misfortune of others.

The fact still remain. There was a ‘bar brawl’ and one party walked away. Regardless what one says in a media conference, the fact is that one actually went to the other party’s hotel not so long later when the latter actually already walked away from what could escalate into an ugly scene.

At one of most preferred inn address in town, the ‘unsatisfied party’ was stopped from proceeding. Maybe they were in ‘an undesirable state of presentation’ (being sons of gentlemen and sundry) at the point of time. Maybe they were ‘influenced’ by some substance, when led to their ‘apparent’ agressive state. Regardless, at wee hours in the morning, inn keepers were ‘very reluctant’ to allow persons in such state to ‘proceed further’.

Then the ‘interrupted bar brawl’ which should have been avoided was continued.

The outcome of the incident at the Sultan Ismail hotel is not really certain. The fact still remain the call for the Dang Wangi Police was made by the ‘occupants’ of hotel instead of the ‘agressors’. If the ‘agressors’ were ‘held against their will’, then the ‘captors’ made a lousy job of allowing them to hold on to their mobile phones and thus making calls and sending smses. The agressors should have gone to the Police and requested assistance to free their ‘abducted’ sons but non avail.

Why did hours later, then only the aggrieved party came forward to make a statement to the Police? Is it becuase thy wanted the affect of certain ”substance” and wear of first before they could present themselves and make an official complaint to the Police?

Eighteen statements were recorded by the Police from the persons who stayed at The Crowne Plaza, which include second heir to the throne of state (whose statement was recorded by the Police in Kelantan, where HRH was under going airborne practical course). Regardless what people stated in their media conference which eventually built a public perception; the occupants of the Crowne Plaza were miding their own affairs in the comfort of their suites when ‘trouble’ came to them. Naturally, they have the right to protect themselves. More over if it involves a second heir to a state throne.

The mother claims her son is “priceless”. At yet at the media conference, contradictorily she admitted that her lawyer demanded a whopping sum of RM 50 million and an apology.

We are not sure why after 11 months, the case did not progress further. Probably the statements recorded were contradictory to each other and yet making the process difficult. Regardless, going to the press and media is a grave mistake. After all, it came to public attention that the “aggrieved party” did demand a RM 50 million ‘settlement fee’, it almost sound like an organised extortion and a ‘Royal Black Mail’.

Lets see what will develop from this and the Johoreans’ next step of action. Never the less, making a media circus by washing dirty linen in public three days before Hari Raya Aidil Fitri is utterly distasteful. What more if it was called by a daughter of a former SPB YDP Agong.

After Paya Besar MIC delegate Peter Sugumaran apologized in the Malay Mail, some MIC Leaders really want to use the opportunity ‘rub it in’ and insult UMNO. MIC Youth Chief T Mohan carpe diem in reciprocity now demanded UMNO to act against former President Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad for ‘interfering with the campaign in a party elections’.

This is utterly outrageous! MIC as a BN component party conveniently and negligently failed to recognize that Peter Murugan’s uncouth utterance was done in Dewan Merdeka, the main hall of UMNO party head quarters. MIC Leaders should do the ‘collective responsibility’ thing, as Sugumaran was a delegate in an official party forum.

More over MIC as a component party which benefitted from the grace of the Malay voters via the campaigned instilled by UMNO should be grateful that Indian representatives are elected into Dewan Rakyat and State Assemblies, even as Senators in Dewan Negara ever since democracy is practiced, considering that there is no one single constituency can amass outright Indian ethnic votes to elect one into any of the augur houses.

MIC should the very least use this episode as an opportunity to change the Leadership, in the attempt to woo back ethnic Indian votes to the party. It is o obvious that not only the MIC Preisdent is holistically no longer acceptable, MIC itself is so unpopular amongst Malaysian Indians, especially the younger ones. And yet, not only MIC Leaders failed to see how Malaysians, especially the Malays will react upon Peter Murugan’s uncouth utterance against a much loved Statesman, they even felt that the Third BN Chairman should instead be reprimanded for speaking the truth on behalf of so many grassroot Malaysians, including ethnic Indians.

UMNO should insist that BN really consider sacking MIC from the coalition party. How dare the MIC Youth Chief takes the matter onwards in this uncouth manner? Undoubtably, Samy Vellu must take full responsibility of this MIC Youth Chief’s ‘KURANG AJARNESS’!